Trump's Plan for Madison Square Garden Rally Compared to Infamous Nazi Event | US elections 2024

Donald Trump's decision to hold a rally in the heart of Manhattan on October 27, nine days before Election Day, was sharply criticized by New York Democrats, who compared the booking to an infamous Nazi rally at the same location beforehand to the Second World War.

But it has also sparked a backlash against such sentiments, with Republicans saying such rhetoric is further escalating tensions in a presidential campaign that has already seen two assassination attempts on Trump.

Democratic Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, whose district includes much of Manhattan's west side where a date was booked for Trump's “arena tour” rally at Madison Square Garden, called on venue owners to cancel the event.

“Let’s get this straight,” Hoylman-Sigal wrote

Hoylman-Sigal was referring to a pro-Hitler rally organized by the German-American Bund that was attended by more than 20,000 people and featured a portrait of George Washington flanked by swastikas. Many participants came from Yaphank, Long Island, where the Bund was headquartered and hosted a summer camp where Nazi ideology was taught.

In 2019, Hillary Clinton used a speech at the same venue to denounce “an attack on the rule of law and the foundations of our democracy,” referencing the infamous Bund rally.

But New York Republicans rejected the comparison.

“Calling a peaceful rally by the leading candidate for President of the United States a 'Nazi rally' is not only a vile comparison, it is also a stark escalation of the dangerous rhetoric in the wake of two direct assassination attempts on President Donald Trump.” “State Senator Rob Ortt said in a statement.

In his post, Hoylman-Sigal attempted to downplay the comparison he made. “I don’t call anyone a Nazi,” he said. “I point out a historical similarity.”

The state senator added, “I spoke about the venue and many of its supporters who are white supremacists and have shown hatred and vitriol toward minority groups, including Jews, people of color and the LGBTQ community.”

Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, told Politico that Trump has refused to condemn white supremacy, incited right-wing extremists to insurrection, and has allied and dined with Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis.

“If ever there was a moment to make such a comparison, it is now, which is why the vast majority of American voters oppose Donald Trump in this election,” Soifer said.

The dispute comes as the major political parties are locked in a costly battle for control of New York's suburban districts, which swung to Republicans in 2022 and took away Democrats' majority in Congress.

But it also comes at a time when Jewish voters in New York City are weighing their traditional Democratic leanings in the face of the widening Middle East conflict. Trump has said that Jews who vote for Vice President Kamala Harris should “have their heads examined.”

Members of the Democrats' progressive wing have been accused of anti-Semitism for their comments criticizing Israel's actions and supporting pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the city.

Earlier this week, Trump held a memorial event to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israelis on October 7, 2023. He called the attack on Israel a “nightmare” and went on to say that the rise in anti-Semitism in the US was a Result of democratic leadership.

Trump had previously said he had hoped to hold a rally at Madison Square Garden, home to sports teams such as the New York Knicks and the Rangers and the most prestigious rock venue in the country.

“We believe we will have a rally at Madison Square Garden,” Trump said in April. “We think that’s why we’re signing Madison Square Garden. We will have a big rally in honor of the police, firefighters and everyone else. I honor many people, including teachers.”

The dispute over a Trump rally at the venue comes as Democrats have largely toned down their comparisons between Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement and Nazi ideology.

In May, Joe Biden accused Trump of using “Hitler's language” after the former president briefly shared a video alluding to a “united empire” to Truth Social.

Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hoylman-Sigal's comments were “the same type of dangerous rhetoric that led to two assassination attempts on President Trump and divided our country” and called on the senator to resign.

Republican Senate candidate Vito LaBella said on X that Hoylman-Sigal's comments would anger voters. “All the polls show that about half of this country supports this man. It's okay for you to hate Trump. You just called 150 million voters Nazis (sic). Shame on you.”